Sculptra injections are conducted like other fillers. Usually topical medications are used to numb the skin. Then sculptra is usually reconstituted with lidocaine local anesthetic. Together this allows the injecions to be done in a tolerable way. Sometimes nerve blocks are done to make the injections easier. There are multiple nerve blocks that you can do to make the Sculptra injections more tolerable. But these “dental blocks” are not for everyone. Sometimes, people prefer topical anesthetics and the anesthetics in the Sculptra itself without nerve blocks. But if additional numbing is required nerve blocks can make the procedure more tolerable. A few injections are usually needed for each area. The first injections are always the more difficult ones. Once the first injections begin to allow the local anesthetics to take effect, subsequent injections are much easier to tolerate. They are usually given every 6-8 weeks. The sessions take about 1/2 hour. You are a litle swollen but this goes down shortly in a matter of hours. The Sculptra then begins to incite an inflammatory response that eventually creates the volume that is needed in the form of collagen. This process of building collagen can take months to about a year. This process of collage formation creates the volume that helps make people look younger. The key to getting a good result is really technique dependent. You have to know where to put the volume to rejuvenate the face. If you don’t, you can accentuate more of the curves that lead to aging rather than the reverse. Unlike other fillers, Sculptra takes time to work with less instant gratification but more long term results. Here is a live demonstration on Sculptra injections.
Thanks for reading, Dr Young
Dr Young specializes in Facial Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington